EP1382370B1

EP1382370B1 - Swimming goggles with improved adjustability

Info

Publication number: EP1382370B1
Application number: EP02254945A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Herman Chiang
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2002-07-11
Filing date: 2002-07-15
Publication date: 2006-12-06
Anticipated expiration: 2022-07-15
Also published as: US20040006813A1; US6694533B2; CA2393245C; ES2277987T3; CA2393245A1; EP1382370A1

Description

The present invention relates generally to swimming goggles, in particular to a pair of swimming goggles that is improved about its nose bridge which can be conform with wearer's nose by configuration, and which can effectively guard against interference each other during adjusting, such that it can provide wearer have more comfortable and best prevent the seepage of water when the swimming goggles is in use.
Swimming goggles have been known for many years and its nose bridge have two common types by function, comprising a fixing nose bridge type which is generally formed integrally with lens frames, an adjustable nose bridge type which is connected to lens frames and can be adjusted for difference spacing, and it was well known in the prior art, for example, U.S. Pat Nos 5,502,844, 5,857,221, 5,950,248, 6,119,277, 6,119,279 etc. European patent application EP-A-1138352 of Chiang describes swimming goggles with an adjustable nose bridge comprising upper and lower strings, right and left leans frames and head strap. However, all the adjustable nose ridge type have main drawback that wearer have to take off the swimming goggles from her/ his head before adjusting, and both lens frames of the swimming goggles shall be effected each other and be moved toward left or right during wearer adjusting the lens frames match her or his eyehole, so it is impossible that no matter how she or he has done their best in that way, the lens frames can not correctly and securely match wearer's each eyehole. So that the swimming goggles with adjustable nose bridge type of the above prior arts not only is inconvenient but also is uncomfortable in use.
Moreover, it is uncomfortable that the nose bridge contact with wearer's nose after user wore the swimming goggles, because wearer's nose is sloped and the nose bridge is planar so that wearer's nose have heavy press in contact
This viewed from one aspect, the present invention provides Swimming goggles with improved adjustability comprising:

a left lens frame and a right lens frame each having an inner periphery that defines a lens retaining space for receiving a lens unit and an upper and a lower periphery each having a connection base with a receiving hole therein;
a head strap;
a nose bridge connecting inner edges of the left and right lens frames including:
- a body portion for touching a wearer's nose;
- a guide portion having a first bar and a second bar respectively extending from opposite edges of the body portion and passing through the receiving hole of the connection base; and
- a connection portion extending from adjacent ends of the first bar and the second bar; and
a fastener mechanism for connecting the head strap having an assembled section able to couple with the connection portion and a strap linking section able to connect to the head strap.

The present invention provides swimming goggles with a adjustable nose bridge that can overcome the drawbacks of the aforementioned prior art. The nose bridge may have a sloped configuration which can be matched to the shape of the wearers nose. Each lens frame can be adjusted on the nose bridge which can be joined a head strap so that each lens frame do not effect each other during adjusting. The lens frame can be securely matched with the periphery of the wearer's eyeholes respectively and get more comfortable and prevent effectively the seepage of water when the swimming goggles is in use.
The present invention allows each lens frame parallel moving with wearer's eyeball during adjusting, causing a lens of the each lens frame is also parallel with wearer's eyeball, which allows good peripheral vision without distorting the swimmer's view.
According to one feature of the present invention, a nose bridge may be made of flexible and rigid material. The nose bridge includes a body portion for touching a wearer's nose, a guide portion with a first bar and a second bar which are respectively extended from on the opposite sides of said body portion. Each of said first bar and said second bar may have a parallel section and may have a connection portion for connecting a strap head.
According to the above mention feature, the body portion may have an outer surface and inner surface for touching wearer's nose, the inner surface may have a upper edge and a lower edge may be located in different orientation, so as to conformed with the slope of wearer's nose after wear.
The present invention may have a connection base protruding from an upper and a lower of periphery of each lens frame for holding during each lens frame is adjusted. The connection base has a receiving hole for providing the first bar and the second bar passing through respectively. The shape and size of the receiving hole may be the same with the longitudinal section of the first bar and the second bar in order to move secure each lens frames is moved along the first bar and the second bar, thus causing a lens unit of each lens frame to be parallel with wearer's eyeball.
The present invention may further comprise a fastener mechanism includes an assemble section is coupled with said connection portion and a strap linking section is connected to a head strap.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings of which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the disassembled parts of the swimming goggles of the present invention;
FIG.2 is a perspective view of the part assembled of the swimming goggles in FIG.1;
FIG.3 is a top view of the swimming goggles in FIG.2;
FIG.4 is a perspective view of the nose pad of the present invention;
FIG.5 is a front view of the swimming goggles in FIG.1;
FIG.6 is a cross-section view of the swimming goggles along line 6-6 of FIG.5;
FIG.7 is a cross-section view of the swimming goggles along line 7-7 of FIG. 5.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to FIG. 1, the preferred embodiment of a swimming goggles 1 according to the present invention is show to comprise a right lens frame 2, a left lens frame 3, a nose bridge 4 and a fastener mechanism 5 and a strap head (not shown), wherein each of the lens frames 2,3 has a lens retaining spaces 21,31 for molding insert a lens units 22,32 thereon. The right lens frame 2 and the left lens frame 3 respectively has a gaskets 23,33 each of which is formed integrally with far away from the side of each of the lens units 22,32 for touching the periphery of a wearer's eyehole. The upper and lower of periphery of the lens frames 2,3 respectively have a connection bases 24,34 which are protruded thereon for holding when each lens frame 2,3 is adjusting. A receiving holes 241,341are respectively disposed on the connection bases 24,34.
Referred to FIGS. 1, 5 and 6, the nose bridge 4 is made of flexible and rigid material, which includes a body portion 40 has an outer surface and inner surface for touching wearer's nose, the inner surface have a upper edge 401and a lower edge 402, a line continue alone the highest 4011 of the upper edge 401 and the lowest 4021 of the lower edge 402 forming an angle t1 with the Y axial(as shown in FIG.6), it should be understand the inner surface of the upper edge 40 land the lower edge 402 are located in different orientation, so as to conformed with the slope of wearer's nose after wear. A hole 403 is mounted on the body portion 40 for assembly a nose pad 43, referred to FIG. 4 the nose pad 43 have a conformable portion 431 for touching nose and a joining portion 432 is integrally formed with the conformable portion 431, which has a neck 433 which is engaged to the hole 403 of the body portion 40, and the conformable portion 431 is generally a arc shape for match with wearer's nose. A guide portion 41 has a first bar 411 and a second bar 412 which are respectively extended from the upper edge 401 and the lower edge 402 of the body portion 40, and cooperate with each other to form a fork shape, it will be more conformable with wearer's nose and more comfortable through the body portion 40, the first bar 411 and the second bar 412 in wear. Moreover, each of said first bar 411 and said second bar 412 has a parallel section 413 for providing each lens frame moving thereon. In FIG.7, the shape and size of the receiving holes 241,341 are the same with the longitudinal section of the first bar 411 and the second bar 412 in order to move secure when each lens frames 2,3 is moved along the first bar 411 and the second bar 412, thus causing a lens unit 22,23 to be parallel with wearer's eyeball. A connection portion 42 is extended from the end of the parallel section 413 of the first bar 411 and the second bar 412 and is bended near the lens frames 2,3, a several stoppers 421 are located on the connection portion 42.
A fastener mechanism 5 is generally a board includes an assembled section 50 is coupled with said connection portion 42 and a strap linking section 51 is connected to said head strap, wherein the assembled section 50 includes two concave housings 501 which are mounted on the board for accommodation the first bar 411 and the second bar 412respectively, and a several openings 502 which are respectively disposed on the concave housings 501 for engaging the stoppers 421. The strap linking section 51 includes two assembled holes 510 which are mounted on the board for positioning the strap head.
Referring to FIG. 2 and 3, during assembly, the lens units 22,32 is inserted into the lens retaining spaces 21,31 of the lens frames 2,3. The lens frames 2,3 are joined together by the first bar 411 and the second bar 412 passing through the receiving holes 241,341 and then the stoppers 421 of each connection portion 42 of the first bar 41 land the second bar 412 are engaged to the openings 502 of each concave housings 501 of the fastener mechanism 5, so that the lens frames 2,3 should be securely assembled into one unit. After assembly, the connection bases 24,34 are located on the parallel section 413 of the first bar 411and the second bar 412, and again referred to FIG. 7, it is obvious that the shape and size of the receiving holes 241,341 are the same with the longitudinal section of the first bar 411 and the second bar 412 in order to move secure when each lens frames 2,3 is moved along the first bar 411 and the second bar 412, thus causing a lens unit 22,23 to be parallel with wearer's eyeball., and to allow good peripheral vision without distorting the swimmer's view. Further moreover, wearer do not take off swimming goggles during adjusting because each lens frame 2,3 can be respectively moved on the parallel section 413 of each of the first bar 411 and the second bar 412, and do not effect each other during adjusting, and can be securely matched with the periphery of wearer's eyeholes respectively and get more comfortable and prevent effectively the seepage of water when the swimming goggles is in use.
While the present invention has been described in connection with what is considered the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is understood that this invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements, for example the connection bases 24,34 of the lens frames 2,3 comprise accommodating hole with clasp opening for securing the first bar 411 and the second bar 412 instead of the receiving holes 241,341, or deleting the connection portion 42 to connect the strap head on the outer side of each lens frame, or the nose pad is made of foam instead of plastics and be directly fixed on the body portion by agglutinant etc.,.

Claims

Swimming goggles (1) with improved adjustability comprising:
a left lens frame (3) and a right lens frame (2) each having an inner periphery that defines a lens retaining space (31, 21) for receiving a lens unit (32, 22) and an upper and a lower periphery each having a connection base (34, 24) with a receiving hole (341, 241) therein;

a head strap;

a nose bridge (4) connecting inner edges of the left and right lens frames including:
a body portion (40) for touching a wearer's nose;

a guide portion (41) having a first bar (411) and a second bar (412) respectively extending from opposite edges of the body portion and passing through the receiving hole of the connection base; and

a connection portion (42) extending from adjacent ends of the first bar and the second bar; and

a fastener mechanism (5) for connecting the head strap having an assembled section (50) able to couple with the connection portion and a strap linking section (51) able to connect to the head strap.
Swimming goggles (1) as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the first bar (411) and the second bar (412) has a parallel section (413) for the left and right lens frame (3, 2) to move thereon.
Swimming goggles (1) as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein a connection base (34, 24) protrudes from each of the upper and lower periphery of each of the left and right lens frames (3, 2) for holding during lens frame adjustment
Swimming goggles (1) as claimed in claim 2, wherein the connection portion (42) extends from the end of the parallel section (413) of each of the first bar (411) and the second bar (412) and is bent near to the lens frame (3, 2) and has located thereon several stoppers (421).
Swimming goggles (1) as claimed in any preceding claim, further comprising:
a nose pad (43) having a conformable portion (431) for touching the wearer's nose integrally formed with a joining portion (432) having a neck (433) engaged with a hole (403) in the body portion (40).
Swimming goggles (1) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the body portion (40) has an outer surface and an inner surface for touching the wearer's nose, the inner surface has an upper edge and a lower edge which is located in different orientation so as to conform to the slope of the wearer's nose after wear.
Swimming goggles (1) as claimed in claim 6, wherein the first bar (411) and the second bar (412) extend from the upper edge and the lower edge of the body portion (40) respectively and cooperate to form a fork shape.
Swimming goggles (1) as claimed in any of claims 4 to 7, wherein:
the fastener mechanism (5) is a board,

the assembled section (50) includes two concave housings (501) which are mounted on the board for accommodating the first bar (411) and the second bar (412) respectively and several openings (502) which are respectively disposed on the two concave housings for engaging the stoppers, and

the strap linking section (51) includes two assembled holes (510) which are mounted on the board for positioning the head strap.
Swimming goggles (1) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the size and shape of the receiving holes (341, 241) are the same as the longitudinal section of the first bar (411) and the second bar (412) to enable each lens frame (3, 2) to move securely along the first bar and the second bar thereby causing each lens unit (32, 22) to be parallel with the wearer's eye ball.
Swimming goggles (1) as claimed in claim 5 wherein the conformable portion (421) is generally an arc shape for matching the wearers nose.